Young stars emerge on thin Bruins defensive line

The Bruins have had to lean on senior defensive end Cassius Marsh a great deal this spring, filling in for the departed Datone Jones. Armando Brown, For the Register

LOS ANGELES – Perhaps no coach on UCLA's staff has been affected by injuries in spring as much as defensive line coach Angus McClure, as each day seems to bring a different, often thinner rotation up front for the Bruins' longest-tenured coach.

While tasked with replacing likely first-round NFL draft pick Datone Jones, McClure also has been forced to get by without key defensive ends Owa Odighizuwa (hip) and Kylie Fitts (ankle), as well as nose guard Ellis McCarthy (knees) – all three of which are expected to make significant contributions on defense this season.

But don't try to rain on McClure's parade. He has been forced to play with inexperience all over the line this season, but that hasn't stopped him from finding a silver lining.

"It's a great opportunity for our young guys to get lots of reps," McClure said. "Right now, we have some veterans out, so they're taking advantage.

"There's been a lot of teaching."

And as a former teacher himself, McClure wouldn't have it any other way. With little experience at the position group, McClure has had the chance to break numerous bad habits in his players this spring, as young defensive linemen tend – more than any other young players – to rely on their brute strength and skate by without proper technique, due to the difference in physicality between high school and college.

That, McClure said, has been the case for guys like McCarthy and defensive end Eli Ankou, who both possess great strength, but haven't properly mastered the correct technique.

Replacing Jones' presence as a stabilizing voice among UCLA's defensive linemen could be an even greater task than what recent injuries have created, given Jones' natural leadership on defense last season. But in Jones' absence, the Bruins have had to lean on senior defensive end Cassius Marsh a great deal this spring. And so far, McClure and UCLA coach Jim Mora said, Marsh has risen to the occasion, becoming a more vocal leader for the entire defense.

"Cassius, he's played a lot of football games at UCLA," McClure said. "His experience, his leadership is starting to show."

FORGETTING THE KICK

Ka'imi Fairbairn promises that he has put the missed field goal that defined his freshman season at UCLA out of his mind. After all, forgetting your misses is one of the paramount rules of being a kicker – especially in college, where those misses tend to be all the more frequent.

But with each spring practice, Fairbairn is reminded – however subtly – about that kick. In fact, Mora has made sure of it.

At the end of each spring practice, UCLA lines up in its field goal formation, as Fairbairn takes six kicks from varying distances and angles. But the last kick is always the same.

Fifty yards away, on the left hash: the same kick he missed in the waning seconds of UCLA's Pac-12 championship loss to Stanford last season.

"It comes up, but I just try to move on," Fairbairn said. "That's all you can do."

And so far, it seems Fairbairn's confidence is only growing, as Mora said last week that he believes his sophomore kicker could go down as one of the best in school history.

SHELL COMMITS

UCLA is firmly in the midst of a running back battle this spring, but come this time next year, the Bruins may have already locked up their next great back.

Highly touted running back Rushel Shell, who played his first season of college football at Pitt before announcing his departure at the beginning of April, will transfer to UCLA and will be eligible to play for the 2014 season.

As a freshman at Pitt, Shell flashed some of his potential, rushing for 641 yards and four touchdowns while fighting for carries with then-starter Ray Graham. And after a potential transfer to Arizona State or Arizona was blocked by Pitt, Shell visited UCLA on Saturday and committed shortly after.

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